MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Peter Graves was honored with the 2,391st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

6667 Hollywood Boulevard on October 30, 2009.

Peter Graves has combined an enormously successful film-acting career – spanning the classic Stalag 17 to the hilarious Airplane – with an equally rewarding TV career, encompassing more than a half-dozen series, several major mini-series and numerous movies-for-television. Mr. Graves hosted A&E's flagship series "Biography" from 1987 – 2002. "Biography" garnered some of the network's highest ratings. In 1997, Peter Graves was himself the subject of an A&E "Biography" presented by co-host Jack Perkins.

Signing on to head the "Mission Impossible" force for six of the seven years the original series ran on CBS-TV (1966-73), firmly established Graves as a star of international importance, a status that continues undiminished. When ABC-TV decided to bring "Mission Impossible" back to the home screen in 1989, they asked Graves to head the otherwise all-new cast.

His other series credits include: Court-martial, Whiplash, Fury, and The Rebels; plus two Time-Life series of Discover: The World of Science. Additionally, he created the role of Palmer Kirby on ABC-TV's The Winds of War mini-series and reprised that role for War and Remembrance.

Since his film debut in Rouge River, Graves has starred in a legion of leading roles in such motion pictures as Stalag 17, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, A Rage to Live, The Raid, The Ballad of Josie, The Long Grey Line, Texas Across the River, Five Man Army, and others. Other motion pictures have included Spree, Number One with a Gun, Airplane II, Savannah Smiles, Survival Run, Cruise Missile, Black Tuesday, and Fort Defiance.

A departure from most of his dramatic roles, Mr. Graves joined an ensemble cast that was a who's who of celebrity talent to play the airplane pilot, Captain Roger Oveur, in Airplane! Considered to be one of the 10 funniest movies ever made by the American Film Institute, Airplane! celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2006 with various special DVD releases.

Additional movies and mini-series for television have included Death on the

Freeway, Death Flight, Underground Man, New Orleans Street Force, Where Have All the People Gone and The Memory of Eva Ryker.

The Minneapolis-born Graves is also an accomplished musician, an affinity he developed early in his youth, when, in addition to athletics, he also found time to take on yet another interest: radio announcing. At the age of 16, he joined the announcing staff of radio WMIN in Minneapolis. Upon high school graduation, Peter enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he spent two years. He later went to college at the University of Minnesota, where he majored in drama.

2009 celebrated Mr. Graves' 59th year in show business and he is still going strong. He was a semi-regular playing the grandfather for an arc of the hit television series "Seventh Heaven." In the last year he has guest starred on FOX-TV's "House" and CBS-TV's "Cold Case." And of course, he now finds it hard to not be recognized in public due to the frequent airings of his tongue-in-cheek Geico Insurance television ad spot.

Graves was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ojai Film Festival in a high-profile week leading up to his anniversary. The film festival honor was presented Nov. 7 in Ojai when Graves took questions from the audience following a screening of the comedy Airplane!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! PETER GRAVES HONORED WITH
2,391^st STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME
at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Musso & Frank Restaurant
Friday, October 30, 2009

Peter Graves has combined an enormously successful film-acting career – spanning the classic Stalag 17 to the hilarious Airplane – with an equally rewarding TV career, encompassing more than a half-dozen series, several major mini-series and numerous movies-for-television. Mr. Graves hosted A&E’s flagship series “Biography” from 1987 – 2002. “Biography” garnered some of the network’s highest ratings. In 1997, Peter Graves was himself the subject of an A&E “Biography” hosted by co-host Jack Perkins.

Signing on to head the “Mission Impossible” force for six of the seven years the original series ran on CBS-TV (1966-73), firmly established Graves as a star of international importance, a status that continues undiminished. When ABC-TV decided to bring “Mission Impossible” back to the home screen in 1989, they asked Graves to head the otherwise all-new cast.

His other series credits include: Court-martial, Whiplash, Fury, and The Rebels; plus two Time-Life series of Discover: The World of Science. Additionally, he created the role of Palmer Kirby on ABC-TV’s The Winds of War mini-series and reprised that role for War and Remembrance.

Since his film debut in Rouge River, Graves has starred in a legion of leading roles in such motion pictures as Stalag 17, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, A Rage to Live, The Raid, The Ballad of Josie, The Long Grey Line, Texas Across the River, Five Man Army, and others. Other motion pictures have included Spree, Number One with a Gun, Airplane II, Savannah Smiles, Survival Run, Cruise Missile, Black Tuesday, and Fort Defiance.

A departure from most of his dramatic roles, Mr. Graves joined an ensemble cast that was a who’s who of celebrity talent to play the airplane pilot, Captain Oveur, in Airplane! Considered to be one of the 10 funniest movies ever made by the American Film Institute, Airplane! celebrated its 25^th Anniversary in 2006 with various special DVD releases.

Graves satirized his A&E hosting role in the successful movie Men in Black II. And, on the Disney DVD release ofThe Lion King 1-1/2 he narrates another mock-umentary of one of Lion King’s characters in “Timon: Behind the Legend.”

Additional movies and mini-series for television have included Death on the

Freeway, Death Flight, Underground Man, New Orleans Street Force, Where Have All the People Gone and The Memory of Eva Ryker.

The Minneapolis-born Graves is also an accomplished musician, an affinity he developed early in his youth, when, in addition to athletics, he also found time to take on yet another interest: radio announcing. At the age of 16, he joined the announcing staff of radio WMIN in Minneapolis. Upon high school graduation, Peter enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he spent two years. He later went to college at the University of Minnesota, where he majored in drama.

2009 celebrates Mr. Graves’ 59^th year in show business and he is still going strong. He was a semi-regular playing the grandfather for an arc of the hit television series “Seventh Heaven.” In the last year he has guest starred on FOX-TV’s “House” and CBS-TV’s “Cold Case.” And of course, he now finds it hard to not be recognized in public due to the frequent airings of his tongue-in-cheek Geico Insurance television ad spot.

Graves will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ojai Film Festival in a high-profile week leading up to his 60th anniversary. The film festival honor will be presented Nov. 7 in Ojai when Graves takes questions from the audience following a screening of the comedyAirplane! The recognition comes at an opportune moment: A DVD box set featuring all seven seasons of the classic spy seriesMission: Impossible was released Nov. 3.

Peter Sydney Vaughn Aylen, better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor. He was a member of the “Rat Pack,” and brother-in-law to President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting. In his earlier professional years he had a strong presence in popular culture and starred in a number of highly-acclaimed films.

Born in London, he was the son of English World War I veteran Sir Sydney Turing Barlow Lawford and May Somerville Bunny. At the time of his birth, May Somerville Bunny was married to Captain Ernest Vaughn Aylen. After his birth, Bunny confessed to Aylen that the child was not his, and he promptly divorced her. Sir Sydney Lawford and Bunny were married in September 1924.

Lawford spent his early childhood in France and owing to his family’s travels, was never formally educated. In America, Sir Sydney and Lady Lawford were treated as royalty among the well-to-do in their new neighbourhood of Palm Beach, Florida, and were always invited to events and social occasions. However, they lost whatever source of money they had when war was declared by the UK in 1939.

At the age of 14, Lawford severely injured his right arm when it went through a glass door. The injury greatly compromised the use of his lower arm and hand with irreversible nerve damage, which he later learned to hide. The injury was considered damaging enough to keep him from entering World War II, but this turn of fate was probably the greatest boon to his career. At that time, Hollywood was infatuated with heroic Englishmen, and as war films were being churned out by the dozens and American actors volunteered or were drafted for the war, Lawford put his talents to work “”.

Peggy Ann Garner was an American actress. A successful child actor, Garner played her first film role in 1938 and won the Academy Juvenile Award for her work in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Featured roles in such films as Black Widow did not further her attempts to establish herself in mature film roles, and although she progressed to theatrical work, she made relatively few acting appearances as an adult.

Born in Canton, Ohio, Garner's mother pushed her into the limelight, and entered her in talent quests while Garner was still a child. By 1938 she had made her first film appearance and over the next few years appeared in several more films including Jane Eyre and The Keys of the Kingdom. She reached the height of her success at the age of 13 in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn winning an Academy Juvenile Award largely on the basis of this performance.

Like many child performers, Garner was unable to make a successful transition into adult film roles. She guest starred steadily in television roles beginning in the early 1950s and continuing through the 1960s. After her film career ended, she ventured into stage acting and had some success, but also worked as a real estate agent and fleet-car executive between acting jobs in order to support herself. Her final screen performance was a small part in a made for television feature in 1980.

Garner married singer/game show host Richard Hayes, and they divorced in 1953. She went on to marry actor Albert Salmi on May 16, 1956, and they divorced on March 13, 1963. Garner's final marriage was to Kenyon Foster Brown. After a few years, that marriage, too, ended in divorce. Her only child, Catherine Ann Salmi, died in 1995 at age 38 from heart disease.

Peggy Knudsen was an American character actress.

Born Margaret Ann Knudsen in Duluth, Minnesota, she made her Broadway debut in My Sister Eileen. She began her film career in 1946 in A Stolen Life opposite Bette Davis. That same year, she appeared in bit parts in several films including The Big Sleep and Humoresque with Joan Crawford.

Despite appearing in big budget features with established stars, Knudsen’s career never took off and she was relegated to smaller roles in B movies. Her last film role was in the 1957 film Istanbul with Errol Flynn.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Knudsen appeared in guest starring roles on several television shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Millionaire, Perry Mason, and Pete and Gladys. After appearing in an episode of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in 1965, Knudsen retired from acting.

Cynthia Jane “Cindy” Williams is an American actress best known for starring in the television situation-comedy series Laverne & Shirley, in the role of “Shirley Feeney”. Although praised for her portrayal of Shirley, she left the show after the first episode of the show’s eighth and final season. She is also known for her role as Laurie Henderson in the classic film American Graffiti.

Williams was born in Van Nuys, California, to John and Lillie Williams. She has a sister, Carol Ann Williams. She graduated from Birmingham High School. Among her classmates were philanthropist and financier Michael Milken and fellow actress Sally Field. Cindy also attended Los Angeles City College and went on to become a movie actress in the early 1970s. She has appeared in 19 movies.

After college, she began her professional career by landing national commercials, which included Foster Grant sunglasses and TWA. Her first roles in television, among others, were on Room 222, Nanny and the Professor and Love American Style.

Williams picked up important film roles early in her career: George Cukor’s Travels with My Aunt ; as Ron Howard’s high school sweetheart in George Lucas’s American Graffiti ; and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation. She auditioned for Lucas’s next project, Star Wars, but lost the role of Princess Leia to a younger actress, Carrie Fisher.

Pepe Barreto is a community and entertainment reporter for KMEX-TV, Channel 34. With extensive experience in television and radio, Barreto, joined KMEX'sthe awardwinning news team, Noticias 34 in April 1993.

Barreto is known for the number one radio show personality in Los Angeles on KLVE-FM. His extensive work and contact with the Latino community has enhanced the station's coverage of community issues.